Daily Workflow in Lightburn

Once the machine is calibrated, every job follows the same rhythm. Build the muscle memory and you'll go from idea to first part in under five minutes.

The 10-step loop

1. Mount part. Use a fixture or jig if it's repeatable.
2. Set Z height, focus stick or autofocus. Always re-check after lens swap.
3. Open the artwork file or paste from clipboard.
4. Position the design in Lightburn over the field.
5. Apply layer settings from Material Library (or test grid result).
6. Click Frame, red square traces the bounding box; verify it lands on the part.
7. Click Start. First pass observed live, listen for tone. Watch for sparks.
8. Inspect the result with a loupe. Decide: tweak power, add pass, or ship.
9. Save material settings if it's repeatable.
10. Log to your job notes (settings, lens, material lot).

Useful shortcuts

Shortcut	What it does
F4	Frame the job
F1 / F2	Start / Stop
Alt+P	Preview (timing + path)
Ctrl+D	Duplicate selection
Ctrl+Shift+O	Offset shapes (great for outlining text)

The Preview window

Always Alt+P before running. Three things to check: estimated time, traversal path (excessive jumps = slow job), and that hatch fills look right at the zoom level. Bad fills here = bad fills on metal.

Verified against LightBurn 2.x. UI specifics may shift in future versions; verify against your installed version.